NYC NOW

Jersey City school officials are considering following the lead of their neighbors across Hudson and banning phones in schools. Plus, Gov. Kathy Hochul is declaring a health emergency to help New Yorkers get COVID vaccines. Also, we share what elected officials and other leaders in Brooklyn are saying in the days since six people were shot after the West Indian Day festivities. And finally, as summer comes to an end and farmstands switch produce, there's still plenty of cucumbers at farmstands across the city.

New York City is now offering $50,000 to landlords who opt to renovate vacant rent-stabilized apartments and return them to the market. Plus, 11 more public library branches will offer seven-day service starting this weekend. And finally, state court officials will decide whether more than a dozen judges who are 70 or older can keep serving.

Small residential facilities where people can stay during mental health crises are expanding across New York, growing from eight in 2021 to 43 statewide. Meanwhile, prosecutors say 18-year-old Faisil McCants faces federal robbery and gun charges in an East Harlem shooting that killed 69-year-old bystander Robin Wright. The NYPD says he is also charged with murder and weapons offenses. Also, New York’s LGBTQ+ film festival NewFest is offering free screenings to Arizonans after Phoenix’s Desperado Film Festival was canceled under federal orders targeting diversity and inclusion programs. Plus, MTA data show major incidents delaying 50 or more trains peaked in June and July, marking the worst summer for subway service since 2018.

New York City Comptroller Brad Lander is out with a new report that grades city bus lines. Plus, the New York Times reports that President Trump's advisers have discussed offering jobs to Mayor Eric Adams and Republican Curtis Sliwa to get them out of the mayoral race. Also, shifting federal guidance of vaccinations could make getting a COVID shot more of a hassle this year. And finally, Lifelong New Yorker Chloë Bass turns the MTA’s public address system into art.

Governor Kathy Hochul visited a Brooklyn middle school to mark the start of New York’s new statewide smartphone ban in schools. Meanwhile, the Brooklyn Public Library will hold a free fair celebrating older adults at its Central Library with live music, vendors, and a keynote on aging. Plus, the NYPD says two men who died in custody last weekend had been arrested for low-level offenses, bringing the total to at least five deaths in custody so far this year. WNYC’s Charles Lane reports.

Nearly 900,000 New York City public school students return Thursday under a new statewide cellphone ban signed by Governor Hochul last spring. Meanwhile, an analysis commissioned in Sullivan County says new casinos in New York City could undercut existing gaming operations in the Catskills. Plus, former Bronx Republican district leader Nicole Torres has been sentenced to two years in prison for pocketing kickbacks from potential poll workers.

Advocates are pressing New Jersey courts to enforce affordable housing requirements as towns fall short on construction. Meanwhile, pharmacies say demand for COVID shots is rising at the start of the school year, but new FDA guidelines are complicating access. Also, the New York Liberty have clinched a playoff spot despite losing 6 of their last 10 games. And WNYC’s Liam Quigley reports on how Fire Island is grappling with climate change.

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch is sending a thousand extra officers to the Bronx after a recent spike in shootings. Plus, the NYPD is investigating the deaths of two men in police custody over the weekend. And finally, former City Comptroller Scott Stringer reflects on the career of Representative Jerry Nadler, who announced this week he will not seek reelection.

Schools Chancellor Melissa Avilés-Ramos says city schools will do everything possible to keep undocumented students safe from detention. Meanwhile, despite Labor Day weekend saw shootings in Brooklyn and the Bronx, new NYPD data show overall gun violence is trending down. Plus, independent candidate Jim Walden has dropped out of the New York City mayor’s race.

Authorities are investigating several shootings and a slashing near the West Indian Day Parade in Brooklyn Monday night that left multiple people injured. Police say one man is under arrest on weapons charges. Meanwhile, a new study finds the horseshoe crab population in Long Island Sound has sharply declined over the past two decades. Also, President Trump says he will award Rudy Giuliani the Presidential Medal of Freedom days after the former mayor was injured in a car crash. Plus, new MTA statistics show subway service disruptions this summer reached their highest levels since 2018. Finally WNYC’s Community and partnerships desk spent some time at 109th Avenue in South Jamaica, Queens to hear from locals.